Daniel Llewoh: Rise of the Legion

1: Ashes

My name is Daniel Llewoh.

The men (and women) in my family are all worthy of respect, considering our line wielded Excalibur after King Arthur's death. I have a lot to live up to, but every man in my family has faced the same problem, and always will.

I only had to save the world to make my own name.

I think I was 23 at the time, and I was with my brother Hascal when the shit hit the fan. A huge gout of flame streaked over our heads, and it set the forest we were in on fire. We were on a hunt for Demons when it happened, and the both of us dreaded the answer to our questions. The loud shriek of a gigantic bird confirmed our worst fears.

It was a Phoenix, and even though I had killed them before, the raw power of a Phoenix never changes. The air itself felt as if it was on fire. Trees all around us were bursting into flame. I had to move quickly to shield my brother from a huge blast of flame, my power armor taking the brunt of the impact. This firestorm had to end.

I slapped myself on the shoulder, and my sword came unsheathed from the storage compartment in my back. I gripped my left hand hard, and a shield of pure energy came to life.

Hascal yelled "Alright, that goddamn Phoenix is coming back around. Get ready!"

Sure enough, the ear-splitting cry of the Phoenix was heard, and it was heading straight for me. A blast of flame hit my energy shield, and I took my chances.

As the gigantic flaming bird dove down to the ground to try to ram us, I activated maneuver thrusters to launch myself up and land on the back of the Phoenix. I gripped the sword with both hands, and stabbed deep into the fiery avian's back. The Phoenix shrieked with sentient fury, and it tried to shake me off. I held on tight, determined to not fall back to the ground.

If anyone was losing this fight, it was this fucking bird. The Phoenix was eventually forced to land, and I made my move. I pulled the sword out of the Phoenix's back and sprinted along it, whipping my sword across the neck of the Phoenix. I slid down the neck, and landed on it's beak. The warning systems of my armor bitched at me. The intense heat was starting to breach the hazard protection. I gripped my fist and punched into the Phoenix's eye, causing it to recoil and shriek, making the flames and the heat worse. I fell off the Phoenix, and did a combat roll. The servos of my armor started to spark, but the fight was ended. The flame started to fade, leaving the Phoenix nothing more than a really colorful bird. I walked up to it and said "Speak, bird."

"What do you want, mortal?" said the Phoenix.

"I want you dead. I've killed many others like you." I replied.

"You can't kill us. We live, we die, and from the ashes we rise. With every death we suffer, our god gains power. One day, a Phoenix will rise from the ashes, but it will be as black as the universe, and all mankind will drown in darkness." said the Phoenix.

With that, the Phoenix's multicolored feathers started turning gray, and then the Phoenix itself started to lose form, fading away in a huge plume of ash.

Hascal dashed up to me and asked "What did he say to you?"

"Same thing the last 3 or 4 said. He mentioned the Black Phoenix again." I replied.

"So it might happen. It might show up." said Hascal.

"We'll see." I replied.

Little did I know, the prophecy was all too real.

"Let's go home, my armor's all fucked up." I said.